Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Democratic Republic of Congo: Cobalt

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of UK companies which (1) purchase cobalt, or (2) are involved in the connected supply chain from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and what steps they have taken to ensure a fair price is paid to workers in the DRC and to support the eradication of child labour in the supply chain.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are working with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and international partners to address the governance and human rights issues linked to illicit mining that continues to fund armed group activity. The UK supports initiatives such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human rights, which aim to address security related human rights abuses in the mining sector. The UK is committed to addressing risks around conflict minerals through promoting and encouraging compliance with the OECD's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas. The UK is also a founding member of the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). This initiative aims to increase the proportion of "responsibly sourced minerals" especially in artisanal mining by working across the whole of the supply chain.

Embassies: Scotland

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate whether Scottish Government spending on overseas embassies is appropriate.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: International relations is a matter reserved to the UK Government (UKG), but the UKG recognises that the devolved governments have legitimate interest in international activities which affect delivery of devolved objectives. The Scottish Government currently operates eight overseas offices and has an office in London. Most overseas offices are physically co-located with the UK Mission. As the UKG highlighted in its evidence to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, there are a wide range of positive examples of engagement and co-operation between FCDO and Scottish Government staff based at UK Missions, delivering for Scotland and the UK.

Parliament: Embassies

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidelines they offer to parliamentarians wishing to (1) communicate with, or (2) be communicated to, by officials from foreign embassies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is no formal guidance held by the FCDO for parliamentarians relating to their engagement with foreign diplomatic missions in the UK. Parliamentarians continue to be welcome to contact the relevant geographical desk within the FCDO for country specific advice.

World Food Programme: Finance

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) about (1) its operational requirements for 2023, and (2) the funding shortfall of over 60 per cent the WFP faced this year; what response they have given the WFP’s concerns about the funding shortfall; and what plans they have, if any, to raise this with international partners.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK officials recently discussed World Food Programme (WFP) projected operational shortfalls for 2023 and 2024 in Rome. WFP's new Management Plan will be submitted for approval to the Executive Board in November. The Board, including the UK, is asking WFP to "do better with less", further improving prioritisation and targeting to ensure that the most vulnerable and at risk are not left behind. We are currently discussing the matter with other donors, including WFP's largest government donor - the USA - and other stakeholders like the World Bank. We and our partners wish not only to increase humanitarian funding globally, but also to help reduce humanitarian need in the first place, by strengthening activities through WFP and others that build community resilience to shocks - for example through anticipatory action.

Department for Business and Trade

Employment: Surveys

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have toconduct a further iteration of the Workplace Employment Relations Study.

The Earl of Minto: There are currently no plans to undertake a new survey in the Workplace Employee Relations Study (WERS) series. The study offered detailed information on employment relations and the impacts of legislation on both employees and employers. The previous survey methodology is challenging to replicate as it relies on sampling via the employer which is harder to obtain due to the increased salience of privacy related issues in recent years.The Department undertook the Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey in 2018/19 which provides evidence on employment relations and management practices in British workplaces.

Exports

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 15 March that UK exports are due to fall by 6.6 per cent this year.

Lord Offord of Garvel: We consider the OBRs forecasts in the context of our commitment to drive forward export growth and achieve our ambition to reach £1 trillion exports by 2030.UK exports increased by 16% in current prices to £849bn in the 12 months to July 2023, compared to the previous 12 months.This growth won't stop there, as my Department continues to support companies to export through our Export Support Service, International Trade Advisers and the Export Academy. Through Government and Business working together, we can continue to grow and achieve our ambitions.

Small Businesses: Closures

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current economic climate on small businesses; whether they expect any to close in the near future; and if so, (1) how many, and (2) over what timescale.

The Earl of Minto: While there are no official forecasts of the number of businesses expected to close, the latest statistics show that, on average, 305,000 businesses closed per year between 2016-2020, with 327,000 businesses closing in 2021. However, business births have exceeded closures over this period. The Government regularly engages with small businesses and representative organisations in many ways, including roundtables, bilaterals and visits to understand the specific issues they face in relation to the current economic climate. We are committed to ensuring small business views are heard in policy making as we work together to understand the barriers and consider practical solutions.  Source: Business Demography, UK: 2021, ONS Statistics (November 2022)

Overseas Trade

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to protect UK businesses from potentially being locked out of new markets created by the Inflation Reduction Act in the absence of a free trade agreement with the United States of America.

Lord Offord of Garvel: We have been working with the U.S. on the Inflation Reduction Act including through negotiations on a Critical Minerals Agreement. UK firms are already part of U.S. supply chains, and we are a net exporter of raw materials for batteries to the U.S. This agreement will support UK based firms to continue to supply the large U.S. market for these materials.

Small Businesses: ICT

Lord Knight of Weymouth: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are able to provide competitive training offerings to information security and technology professionals.

The Earl of Minto: We are keen to support businesses with digital and technology skills which are critical for their growth and for the security of organisations and their customers. Help to Grow: Management is an intensive national training programme equipping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the tools to grow their businesses. The curriculum focuses on leadership and management skills as well as some digital skills. The Made Smarter programme supports digital transformation, including digital leadership skills, for SME manufacturers. The National Cyber Security Centre offers a range of resources for SMEs including a “Check Your Cyber Security” tool alongside advice and guidance.

Cabinet Office

Import Controls

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their readiness tointroduce the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when theywill announce a decision on the proposed Common User Charge under the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the readiness of (1) EU exporters, and (2) rest of world exporters, for importing goods into the UK under the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the readiness of EU vets for undertaking processes related to importing goods into the UK under the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatcontingency planning they have undertaken to manage any disruption to imports to the UK resulting from any potential problems with the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish (1) theirfull modelling on the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model, and (2)modelling on the additional cost to be incurred by businesses as a result of the Border Target Operating Model.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) outlines a pragmatic and phased implementation approach starting from January 31 2024, designed to give all relevant parties sufficient time to prepare ahead of its introduction.We will continue to engage with and monitor the sentiment of stakeholders across all parts of the United Kingdom, affected sectors, and our trading partners around the world to ensure readiness for the phased introduction of our new model.The Government will run a series of in-person and online engagement events, and publish guidance detailing actions required as a result of the changes on GOV.UK. For example, we will work closely with our key trading partners to ensure the capacity and availability of certifiers for Export Health Certificates does not become a barrier to trade.To ensure our own readiness for implementing the Model, departments with specific responsibilities will run and end-to-end operational testing, working with industry to identify any issues and support a smooth transition for each phase of the Model.The Model represents an estimated £520 million saving for all importers compared to the Model originally planned for introduction in 2022. The actual cost to business will greatly depend on how businesses adapt their business models and supply chains to integrate the Model. As outlined in the BTOM, we estimate the costs of the Model at £330 million per annum overall, across all EU imports, which is around 0.13% of the overall value of EU goods imports to Great Britain. We estimate the measures introduced through the BTOM would have a minimal impact on consumer food price inflation of less than 0.2% in total over a 3-year period.In contrast, an outbreak of a major disease could have a much more significant impact: the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease cost £12.8 billion in 2022 prices, £4.8 billion of which was cost to Government and £8 billion cost to the private sector.The Government ran a consultation on charges for Government owned Border Control Posts from 12 June to 9 July, including a call for views on our intention to administer a single Common User Charge for eligible Sanitary and Phytosanitary consignments at government-run Border Control Posts. The outcome of this consultation will be published shortly.

Ministry of Defence

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK F35B and Crowsnest aircraft HMS Queen Elizabeth is carrying on her current deployment.

Baroness Goldie: We do not disclose information on, or comment on, current Royal Navy operations as to do so could prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces. However, I can confirm that the scale of UK carrier deployments is tailored to the task, threat, location and is kept under constant review.

HMS Prince of Wales: Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK F35B and Crowsnest aircraft HMS Prince of Wales is carrying on her current deployment.

Baroness Goldie: We do not disclose information on, or comment on, current Royal Navy operations as to do so could prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces. However, I can confirm that the scale of UK carrier deployments is tailored to the task, threat, location and is kept under constant review.

Military Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether thecannibalisations of Wildcat parts from aircraft undergoing maintenance and front-line squadrons is part of the "hollowing out" noted by the outgoing Defence Secretary in his resignation letter to the Prime Minster on 30 August.

Baroness Goldie: The reuse of any component or piece of equipment is closely managed and only done when strictly necessary to ensure capabilities are able to meet defence outputs. Whilst not planned, it is a valid engineering technique that can mitigate shortfalls in the supply of components that emerge for a whole host of reasons and is a useful management choice to expedite the return to flight of an aircraft faster than the supply chain.

Navy: Landing Ship Dock Auxiliaries

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what change to the global geostrategic situation outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world, published on 13 March, has led to the decision to have no operational Landing Platform Dock ships in the Royal Navy.

Baroness Goldie: The Royal Navy will continue to operate a credible Landing Platform Dock (LPD) capability, through its Bay class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) (LSD(A)), until the operational return of the Albion class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships, with HMS Bulwark. The LPD and LSD(A) platforms are interchangeable in function by degrees of scale, each complements the other and both together constitute our core amphibious delivery capability when combined for maximal amphibious effect. To enable the sustained forward presence of the Littoral Response Group’s (LRG) in the coming years, both classes of ship will be pulsed into the deployment of the LRGs around their respective refit cycles.

Treasury

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate whether Scottish Government spending on independence campaigning is appropriate.

Baroness Penn: The Government is concerned by the First Minister’s decision to appoint a Minister for Independence. This decision is out of step with the real priorities of the public, which include continuing to tackle the cost of living, growing Scotland’s economy, tackling NHS waiting lists, ensuring energy security and improving transport links. The Government is committed to uphold the reputation and impartiality of the civil service in Scotland and appreciates that this is a matter for the Scottish Government Permanent Secretary who has been asked to consider this matter.

Pensions: Tax Allowances

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what the total amount of tax relief on all pensions was for the last five years.

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government how much tax revenue is foregone each year in supporting (1) company, (2) private, and (3) National Employment Savings Trust pensions.

Baroness Penn: Information on estimates of Income Tax relief on pension contributions and investment income of pension funds can be found online in Table 6 of the Private pension statistics publication. Estimates for the tax years 2018 to 2019 to 2020 to 2021 have been reproduced in Table 1 below. Table 1: Total pension Income Tax relief for tax years 2018 to 2019 to 2020 to 2021.Tax yearTotal pension Income Tax relief, £million2020 to 202144,1002019 to 202041,7002018 to 2019*38,200 *Improvements in the estimation methodology for the tax years 2019 to 2020 onwards mean that estimates for the tax year 2018 to 2019 are not directly comparable to those in later years. Estimates for the 2021 to 2022 tax year will be published on 27th September 2023. Estimates for the 2022 to 2023 tax year will be published in Summer 2024. HMRC does not hold complete information on whether contributions have been made to personal or occupational pension schemes. Information on the National Employment Savings Trust is exempt from release by HMRC under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA).

Pension Funds: Investment

Lord Sharkey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement of the Mansion House Reforms on 10 July, what progress they have made in recruiting further UK based defined-contribution pension schemes to the Mansion House Compact, beyond the initial nine members.

Baroness Penn: The Mansion House Compact is a voluntary and industry-led agreement that has been led by the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation. Updates on the Compact and signatories are provided by The City of London Corporation on their website (https://www.theglobalcity.uk/insights/mansion-house-compact). There are currently 9 signatories to the Compact.

Import Duties: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards creating a new tariff reimbursement scheme as set out in the Windsor Framework.

Baroness Penn: The Duty Reimbursement Scheme was launched on 30 June 2023. Further information about the scheme can be found on GOV.UK([1]). [1] Apply to claim a repayment or remission of import duty on ‘at risk’ goods brought into Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 April (HL6655), whether they will provide an update on when operational guidance will be issued on the trusted trader scheme.

Baroness Penn: Guidance on the new UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) was published on GOV.UK([1]) on 9 June 2023. UKIMS replaced the UK Trader Scheme on 30 September 2023; traders are now able to register for and use the scheme. [1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-authorisation-for-the-uk-internal-market-scheme-if-you-bring-goods-into-northern-ireland

Defibrillators: VAT

Lord Polak: To ask His Majesty's Government how much VAT was collected on defibrillator purchases in (1) 2020, (2) 2021, and (3) 2022.

Baroness Penn: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services, including VAT on defibrillators. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Defibrillators: VAT

Lord Polak: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the taxpayer of removing VAT on all defibrillator purchases.

Baroness Penn: The government has not made a robust assessment of the cost to the taxpayer of removing VAT on all defibrillator purchases. The Government provides support to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) through VAT refunds on purchases made by local authorities and VAT reliefs for purchases made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT. The Department of Health and Social Care are examining whether there are ways to further expand public access to defibrillators. The Government keeps all taxes under constant review.

Pensions

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual cost to the exchequer of expenditure on all pensioner benefits, including a breakdown of (1) basic state pension, (2) additional pensions, (3) new state pension, (4) pension credit, (5) housing benefit, (6) winter fuel payments, (7) Christmas bonus, (8) age addition, (9) deferred pensions, (10) free prescriptions, (11) free travel, (12) eye tests, and (13) dental care.

Baroness Penn: The territorial extent, age requirements, and availability of latest data vary by policy area. Pensioner benefit spending is devolved to Northern Ireland, whereas transport and healthcare spending is devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Noting these points, the UK Government spends around £150bn per year on pensioner benefits. The forecast of 2023-24 expenditure on all pensioner benefits in Great Britain can be found in the table below. Deferred pension figures are captured in the basic State Pension, new State Pension, and Lump Sum Payment figures. £ million2023-24 ForecastBasic State Pension66,617of which Lump Sum Payments186Additional Pensions19,163New State Pension36,234Pension Credit5,437Housing Benefit5,938Winter Fuel Payments2,037Christmas Bonus128Age Addition (Category D State Pension)195Attendance Allowance6,686Other9,170Total151,604Source: Spring 2023 Benefit Expenditure Outturn and Forecast Tables on GOV.UKThe latest available data on dental care for pensioners in England is from 2022-23 and can be found below. However, there is no published 2022-23 data on prescription or eye test expenditure as any information provided would be based on internal DHSC analysis and modelling, which could change. £ million2022-23Free Dental Care56Source: NHS Dental Statistics: 2022-23 The latest available data on free travel for pensioners in England is from 2021-22 can be found below. This figure also includes spend on travel for individuals with disabilities. £ million2021-22Free Travel803Source: Concessionary Travel data from the Bus Statistics data tables on GOV.UK.

Department for Education

Artificial Intelligence: Skilled Workers

Lord Knight of Weymouth: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they haveto develop the necessary workforce skills to fulfil their plans for safe adoption of artificial intelligence across the UK economy.

Baroness Barran: The department is committed to creating a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality, and fit for the future. We will continue our work to ensure that the education system is able to adapt to deliver upskilling and to provide the skills that learners need for the workplaces of the future, including jobs that will be impacted by, or require the use of, artificial intelligence. This includes increasing opportunities for people to develop higher technical skills through T Levels, Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, and Higher Technical Qualifications, as well as enabling access to modular learning through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.The department is investing in artificial intelligence (AI) skills at all stages of education, including higher education. We are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to deliver new postgraduate AI and data science conversion courses to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs. The government is also investing £117 million in doctoral training for AI researchers.The department is also working with other government departments through the UK Science and Technology Framework to deliver talent and skills for five critical technologies, including AI.This year, the department’s Unit for Future Skills is developing a Skills Dashboard to understand the supply and demand of science, technology, engineering, and maths skills to develop critical technologies like AI and quantum. This data will support improved access to relevant training.Digital and computing skills will play an important role for individuals developing and using AI in the future workforce. The department is harnessing government and external expertise through the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce to increase the number of people taking digital and computing qualifications and attract a diverse range of individuals into digital jobs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Vietnam

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Nghe An Province in Vietnam is providing a backdoor route for the trafficking from Laos of Asiatic Black Bears, in contravention of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Vietnam regarding reports that unchipped and illegal bears in Nghe An Province have not been confiscated due to violence against enforcement officials by illegal wildlife farmers.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Vietnam regarding the number of unchipped and illegal bears in captivity in Vietnam.

Lord Benyon: We have made no assessment or held any discussions with the government of Vietnam on the trafficking or illegal captivity of Asiatic Black Bears. However, in April 2023 Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey visited Vietnam and met with her counterparts in the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. During this visit the important role of Vietnam in tackling the Illegal Wildlife Trade was discussed. The UK government fully opposes any intimidation of individuals carrying out official duties and is supportive of a proportionate response that reflects international commitments and due process.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what plans they have to monitor the development of the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant in the UK; and (2) to what extent PCR testing will support monitoring the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant.

Lord Markham: The UK Health Security Agency conducts routine monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 and the emergence and spread of new variants internationally via a range of surveillance systems and genomics capabilities, which report infection rates, hospitalisations and the risks posed by new variants, including the BA.2.86 variant.The Government has maintained essential COVID-19 surveillance activities in primary and secondary care, and in high-risk settings. Currently a technical briefing is published every week, reviewing the data and risk assessing BA.2.86 and other variants.We use Polymerase Chain Reaction testing for genomic sequencing to monitor and detect and assess vaccine effectiveness against new variants.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the detection of the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant in the UK, what assessment they have made of COVID-19 PCR testing (1) capacity, and (2) availability in England.

Lord Markham: Appropriate levels of testing for COVID-19, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing have remained to support diagnosis for clinical care and treatment, and to protect very high-risk individuals and settings.Lateral flow device (LFD) testing is predominantly used and continues to be effective in detecting positive results, including of new variants. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) currently holds a stock of LFDs to support current testing policy and enable expanded deployment, should cases rise or risks to the National Health Service increase.UKHSA continues to monitor prevalence and other factors to determine if additional testing, either LFD or PCR, is needed.

Coronavirus: Screening and Surveillance

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK Health Security Agency’s observation that “in the UK, the current surveillance systems do not support an assessment of comparative severity between variants”, published on 14 September; and what plans they have to increase PCR testing and COVID-19 surveillance in England.

Lord Markham: Trends in disease severity and outcomes can be monitored over time through hospital data. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) receives vital data from those who are admitted to hospital with symptoms, and UKHSA is using genome sequencing to detect and assess severity and vaccine effectiveness against new variants.While reduced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in the community limits comparisons of variant severity, surveillance metrics based on current testing continue to provide useful indicators of recent trends.UKHSA retains laboratory capacity and an ability to scale PCR and lateral flow device testing back up should it be needed.Planning for the restart of community surveillance for the winter season, when health pressures usually rise, is in progress. A national surveillance report is published every two weeks, and this will increase to once every week in the winter season.

Chronic Illnesses: Genetics

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the AlphaMissense model by Google, which uses artificial intelligence to analyse the effects of DNA mutations in causing health conditions.

Lord Markham: Genomics England has tested the AlphaMissense model as part of their regular research activities to investigate algorithms that may eventually be used to improve the interpretation of variants for patients with rare diseases or cancer. Many further steps are required before it is clear how this type of algorithm may help expert clinical scientists in the National Health Service to make the best decisions for NHS patients.

Department of Health and Social Care: ICT

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what are (1) the remit, and (2) the work programme, of the Department for Health and Social Care’s Private Office Data Science unit.

Lord Markham: The Department’s aim is to ensure Ministers receive the right insights to support their decisions, and ensure Ministers understand performance in the sector. The Private Office Data Science unit is a small, flexible team of analysts and data scientists from the Department’s analytical community that support the direct needs of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Steve Barclay MP). The unit follows the same standards and governance as all analysts under the Director of Analysis, working directly with the rest of the analytical community to deliver data and analysis to support decision making. They are supported by expert data and analysis, from others in health and care system, working closely with our agencies and partners, with the unit as a conduit for these insights. As this is a flexible Private Office function, it does not have a pre-specified work programme.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Lord Woodley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners currently serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentencehave served more than (1) 5, (2) 10, or (3) 15, years over their original tariff.

Lord Woodley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners serving anImprisonment for Public Protection sentence have(1) died, (2) been transferred to secure hospitals, or (3) been sent to another country under the Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme, in each of the past 10 years.

Lord Bellamy: It falls to the Parole Board to determine whether the statutory release test is met when it reviews the case of a prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) and the prisoner has served in full the minimum term of imprisonment, set by the Court for the purposes of retribution and deterrence. Therefore, those serving an IPP sentence will only be released where the Board assesses that they may be safely managed in the community on licence and supervised by the Probation Service. We have already reduced the number of IPP prisoners by three-quarters since we scrapped the sentence in 2012, and we continue to help those still in custody to progress towards release.The table below provides the breakdown of those prisoners who have served 5 ,10, and 15 years over their original tariff, correct as at 30 June this year.Table 1. Tariff-expired unreleased IPP prisoner populationTime over tariffTotal5 years or more1,14010 years or more66215 years or more671. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date and does not take into account any time served on remand.2. Rows do not include the total from the preceding row3. Figures include only unreleased IPP population. The tables below provide a breakdown of the number of prisoners who have died, been transferred to secure hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983, or have been approved for removal to another country under Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) in the past 10 years.The Ministry of Justice processes applications for transfer to another country under TERS; however, it does not manage or routinely record the actual removals of offenders, which is the responsibility of the Home Office. As a result, we have provided in Table 4 the number of approved applications for transfer under TERS.Table 2. Number of deaths of IPP prisoners, 2013-2022YearCount2013122014212015212016132017242018222019122020172021202022204. Figures include death by homicide, natural causes, self-inflicted and other/non-natural for the unreleased and recalled IPP population.5. Figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. As classification of deaths may change following inquest or as new information emerges, numbers may change from time to time.6. Figures include incidents at HMPPS run Immigration Removal Centres and during contracted out escorts.7. Figures do not include incidents at Medway STC. For more information on Secure Training Centres, please see Youth justice annual statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-annual-statistics. Table 3. Number of IPP offenders transferred from prison to secure hospital under section 47 of the Mental Health Act, 2013-2022YearCount2013872014862015722016602017592018632019592020542021372022448. Mentally disordered offenders can be transferred to psychiatric hospital for treatment and can be kept in varying levels of security (including to psychiatric intensive care units, which are not categorised as ‘secure’). These figures show MHA transfers to secure units. Figures may contain duplicates as an offender can be transferred more than once across the years. However, within each year, only one transfer for an offender is counted. Table 4. Approvals for transfer of IPP offenders to another country under the Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme, 2013-2022YearApprovals20136320145120153320163020171520181820191120201120213202219. Figures provided relate to the number of approvals of TERS applications in each of the last 10 years. The number of approvals may not match the number of actual removals.Note:Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by HM Prison & Probation Service. Consequently, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the RAC Foundation Is it necessary to reduce car mileage to meet our carbon emission goals?, published in February; in particular, the finding that at least 37 per cent of all miles driven by cars, taxis and vans will need to be zero emission by 2030.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The UK is on track to meet its carbon budgets. The Government already has robust plans in place to decarbonise transport in line with the UK’s legally binding targets. These plans do not include any measures to reduce car mileage. The package of proposals and policies will continue to evolve to changing circumstances in order to utilise technological developments and address emerging challenges.

Cycling: Training

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) children, and (2) adults, haveundertaken the Bikeability cycle training course for each of the past three years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Over the past three years, the Department for Transport has provided funding for Bikeability cycle training to a total of 1,042,079 children: 140,390 in 20/21, 439,802 in 21/22 and 461,887 in 22/23. The Department does not hold figures for adult cycle training as it is not formally part of the Bikeability programme and is not funded centrally.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Natural Gas: Infrastructure

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to provide information on different options for the future of the gas network as part of the next National Infrastructure Assessment in October.

Lord Callanan: The Government awaits the publication of the National Infrastructure Assessment. The Government will work with stakeholders including Ofgem and industry counterparts to evaluate all pathways for gas networks in the transition to net zero. The gas system will play a vital role in the UK's energy mix out to 2050, supporting renewables and contributing towards security of supply. The resilience of infrastructure, and appropriate investment in gas networks, is a priority.

Home Office

Refugees: Biometric Residence Permits

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government whether an assessment been made of the barriers preventing a Biometric Residence Permit from being issued at the same time as a letter granting refugee status.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The waiting times for biometric residence permits (BRP) are dictated by the BRP production and delivery processes.The Home Office does not have published, verified data on delivery times.